Sue Darby's early years were spent in one-teacher schools at Toowoomba, Winton and Alpha, where her father was often the teacher. Darby graduated from Kelvin Grove Teachers' College in 1967 and began work in Rockhampton before transferring to Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast in 1971. In 1974 Darby gained employment with the Cairns School of the Air where she made hundreds of flights around Far North Queensland visiting students.
In 1977 Darby married Phil, an RFDS pilot. After 17 years with the School of the Air, Darby returned to conventional teaching, in the position of Deputy Principal of Edge Hill State Primary School in Cairns.
